The speaker in the poem “Prelude to Jumping in the River” by Katia Grubisic, uses his observations of a man preparing to jump into a river as a metaphor for making important decisions. The speaker presents instances of metaphor in the moments before the jump, the unpredictable outcome of the jump, and in the possibility of missing the jump. When the speaker witnesses a man standing at the edge of a river preparing to jump he reflects on how “the mental preparation takes some time” (4-5). Comparably, careful thought and anticipation are also involved when approaching significant decisions. Certainly, the speaker’s observation addresses how responsibly handling a major decision is a lengthy process that requires careful consideration. In addition